Town News Briefing

June 06, 2001

AREAWIDE

Funeral Home Sponsors Grief Program For Teens

A support group has been formed to help Greater Hartford teenagers cope with the loss of loved ones.

Teens Together, sponsored by Newington Memorial Funeral Home, is a free program with an open format. Organizers say teens may come any time to share their feelings about the death of a relative or friend.

``We will help teens learn how to cope with loss, gain, physical, emotional and spiritual support and deal with changes,'' Tana Lee Burns said in a statement. Burns, a medical social worker for Hartford Hospital, is one of the leaders of the program, along with Laura Holzhauer, a coordinator of bereavement services at Newington Memorial Funeral Home.

``As facilitators, we will gently guide and support the participants as they work their way through their grief,'' Holzhauer said.

Teens Together is held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the second floor Community Room at Westfarms mall (between Mrs. Field's Cookies and Hallmark Cards). For more information, call Holzhauer at Newington Memorial Funeral Home at 860-666-0600.

HARTFORD

Education Group Picks Official At Watkinson

Ted Graf, head of Watkinson School's Upper School, was recently appointed president of the executive board of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a school reform movement based at Brown University.

Graf will lead the board for the next year, helping to guide a national network of 1,200 schools and 20 regional support centers working for school reform.

Watkinson, recently named as a model school by the coalition, is one of only a dozen private schools that are part of the movement, founded by Theodore R. Sizer. As a Brown graduate student in the '80s, Graf worked for the coalition and has been active since then.

The coalition promotes higher student achievement, and aims to develop nurturing school environments. Watkinson's block schedule of 90-minute classes is one example of the coalition's philosophy at work, officials at the school in Hartford said.

AREAWIDE

Indy Style Race To Aid Junior Achievement

GE Industrial Systems and Junior Achievement of Southwest New England Inc. will bring Indy-style racing to Trinity and Elm Streets near Bushnell Park in Hartford Saturday.

About 25 race cars representing 15 area companies will compete for trophies and prizes with go-cart style Indy cars at top speeds of 25 mph on a half-mile track on Trinity and Elm. The 2001 Grand Prix event will be managed by TCM Racing, a professional go-kart organization.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and practice will begin at 9. Time trials will begin at 10 and heat races will start at 11. The championship race will begin at 2:30 p.m., awards will be made at 4:30 and a reception will follow at 5.

Proceeds from the event will help provide Junior Achievement business and economics programs at no cost to area schools. For information, call 860-525-4510.

ROCKY HILL

Lions Club Offers

College Scholarships

ROCKY HILL -- One more pool of resources for local college students is up for grabs.

The Rocky Hill Lions Club recently announced it would offer $1,200 in scholarships to local students who have completed at least one year of college.

Scholarships will be awarded based primarily on scholastic achievement and community service. Judges will consider financial need. Applications are available at the Rocky Hill Public Library or the Rocky Hill High School guidance office. Applications are due June 29.

For more information, call William Speed at 860-721-9616.

WINDSOR

Awards To Cap Month

For Licensing Dogs

WINDSOR -- June is the month in which Connecticut dog owners must license dogs that are at least 6 months old. In Windsor, the month will end with a dog show on the town green.

To obtain a license, owners must provide the following paperwork from the dog's veterinarian: a valid rabies certificate and, if the dog has been neutered or spayed, a certificate stating the procedure has been done. The fee for a license is $6 if the dog has been spayed or neutered or $16 if the dog has not been altered.

Licensing can be done at the town clerk's office in town hall. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with hours extended until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.

To obtain a license by mail, the dog's owner must send copies of the necessary paperwork if it is a first-time registration, a stamped, self-addressed envelope and the correct fee to Windsor Town Hall, 275 Broad St., Windsor, CT 06095.

To celebrate the end of dog licensing month, the town will sponsor the dog show June 29 beginning at 5 p.m. on the green. Admission is a valid updated license. Judging will begin at 6, and dogs will be awarded blue ribbons.